Will the US ban TikTok?

The United States is currently ‘looking at’ banning TikTok and other Chinese apps, according to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

As reported by CNN, Pompeo has explained that people should only download the app “if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”

This information comes at a very sensitive time as tensions between the United States and China continue to rise with concerns heightening over matters of trade, tech and national security.

According to CNN, TikTok has not yet commented on the Secretary of State’s remarks. 

If a ban is enforced, it would in fact be momentous as TikTok has become the first Chinese app to make significant waves outside of China after it exploded in popularity in the United States and other western countries in 2019. 

It was downloaded 315 million times in the first three months of this year, more quarterly downloads than any other app in history, according to analytics company Sensor Tower.

TikTok’s most followed creator, Charli D’Amelio, is also based in the US, so undoubtedly creators who have found mega success on the platform will be greatly affected if a ban is enforced. 

The US Secretary of State’s comments comes just over a week after India also banned TikTok and other Chinese apps also citing rising tensions between the two countries as a reason. 

How do you think US content creators would potentially react to a ban?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!